Charlestown Dragway, Charlestown RI. Many a Sunday morning I'd ride my bike there. That's where Tasca Ford got started with Billy Lawton driving the classic 777 Thunderbolt Fairlane. Pioneers in the A/FX class that morphed then split into the Pro Stock and Funny car classes. I got to know Billy later in life, he passed away around 10 years ago. The Dragway used the runway of the old Charlestown Naval station which is now a "open space" park.

Kingstown fairgrounds (dirt), Norwood arena, Lonsdale are all gone, houses built there. Riverside park in Mass went belly up 8-10 years ago. A Six Flags is there now.

Charlestown Dragway, Charlestown RI. Many a Sunday morning I'd ride my bike there. That's where Tasca Ford got started with Billy Lawton driving the classic 777 Thunderbolt Fairlane. Pioneers in the A/FX class that morphed then split into the Pro Stock and Funny car classes. I got to know Billy later in life, he passed away around 10 years ago. The Dragway used the runway of the old Charlestown Naval station which is now a "open space" park.

Kingstown fairgrounds (dirt), Norwood arena, Lonsdale are all gone, houses built there. Riverside park in Mass went belly up 8-10 years ago. A Six Flags is there now.

The #3 Ol' Blue was a Lenny Boehler car. It was driven by Bugsy Stevens who was in the Navy at the time. His real name was Carl Berghman and the Navy took a dim view of him racing. Rumor is he was ordered not too, dunno if it's true or not. So, being the resourceful racer he was he simply made up a name to race under, Bugsy Stevens was born.
I remember Fred DeSarro's accident, he lived 10 miles from me, nice guy.

There are no ground level pictures of what is left (mine will be the first) - but it's viewable from Windows Live Local. Just south of Route 4 (Pennsylvania Ave.) and where it intersects with 301 in Upper Marlboro, MD. They have Bird's Eye imagery.

OK, on my way to Charlotte this weekend, I stopped by the old (or not so old) Southampton Motor Speedway. I really don't know the story behind this track being closed, nor do I know how long it's been closed or even when it opened. The only thing I know for sure is that it was a dirt track at one time, as I saw a dirt late model race there in 92 or 93. Not sure when they paved it though.

I can tell you that it has to have been sometime after 2001 when it closed though, since they had "freedom fries" at the concession stand. This track really doesn't look like it would take a whole lot of work to get it up and running again.